Our Fitness Blog

The Gift You Might Have Forgotten for Valentine’s Day

Would you trade 30 Minutes of your time now in exchange for days, months or even years of more time to spend with your loved ones in the future?

Could just 30 minutes of the correct type of exercise help your body so much that it could extend your years (and the quality of those years) better than any drug or medical device on the market?

The short answer is yes.

It's National Heart Month and I really want to have a candid discussion inspired by that.

Fact #1- Your heart beats automatically without any conscious thought from you all day and all night.

Fact #2- We all are guilty of taking this for granted 99% of the time, but I'm hoping that this can be the 1% of the time when you focus on being grateful for it. If your heart stopped for even a second, everything in your life as you know it would instantly change. Honestly take a moment and think about the end of your days here on earth. If you could have one more day, week, or year with your family at that time in the future, I'm betting you'd take it! The truth is, that time will be the wrong time to do anything about it. The time to add time to your life is today.

Exercise is an elixir of life! When we think of Valentines Day, we think of champagne, chocolates and roses. Hey, those are three of my favorite things, but they are temporary. There are other kinds of gifts that aren't the kind you wrap or buy, but that are more valuable than anything material. Think of your loved ones, now. Give them the gift of YOU, living a longer and more quality life with them. The trick is, no one can do this for them but you.

The truth is, exercise in any form will help your body, but I'd like to propose that we can do even better than that. If it was as simple as just moving each week, more people would be doing it. There's a ton of reasons why many people haven't taken the steps to improve their health through exercise. Some of them are:

It's boring

It takes too long

It's inconvenient

Not fun! and....

Did I mention it's boring?

If you hate your exercise routine, you won't stick with it.

That brings me to my solution-

Jane E. Brody of The New York Times writes:

“Although once reserved for athletes seeking a competitive advantage and for healthy people wanting to burn more body fat, HIIT is now being studied as a treatment that is sometimes as effective as medication for many people with chronic health problems.

Researchers have found that repeatedly pushing the body close to its exercise limits for very brief periods, interspersed with periods of rest, is more effective than continuous moderate activity at improving cardiovascular, respiratory, metabolic and mechanical functions.”

As described above, HIIT workouts are generally shorter (hooray, right?!) workouts with high intense spurts thrown in here and there. When you exercise with this methodology, your body will feel max exertion for short periods of time and then be allowed to slow down for either a complete rest or an active break of lower intensity. The body responds really well to this kind of exercise (another hooray, I know!)

Many people prefer this type of exercise because it eliminates long, slow sessions of running on a treadmill or elliptical. Because so many people get bored and discouraged with long sessions of cardio, HIIT is the perfect solution for the short attention span most of us have. When your body is constantly changing exercises, your mind is more engaged on what’s next and “forgets” that you’re exercising. When you are focused on switching exercises frequently then something magical happens! Before you know it, you’re done! (And I bet you had fun along the way.)

This is why people love 9Round Fitness so much. With nine different stations in just 30 minutes, plus the 30 second anaerobic spurts we affectionately refer to as “burn-outs” sprinkled in (HIIT); along with 9 active breaks between stations means even the most ADD person will be entertained! (I'm referring to myself here.) Getting fit slowly. Getting fit fast. Sane people everywhere are choosing the latter.

People who try 9Round for the very first time are always surprised when they finish. “I’m done?! That was fast!,” they say. When your workout flies by, you’re more likely to come back for more. It helps that we have a trainer included in every workout you do with us. It's built in motivation. When you make a fun intense HIIT workout like 9Round a part of your regular routine, guess what? You are now reversing your body’s aging process and assisting it in self-curing; hopefully lessening your need for any medications. Hey, when you're stronger, you live longer. You're also a better person, friend, spouse, lover, parent and citizen of this world!

Side effect: you look better naked. And that is sure to brighten your Valentine's Day!

Don't believe that you can get results, have fun, and commit to an exercise program? You obviously haven't tried 9Round yet. The first workout is free so you can see what all the hype is about. I hope with all my HEART that you'll try us out! Visit 9Round.com/locations to find a 9Round club near you! XOXO

Heather Hudson has been with 9Round since inception in 2008 and is COO and Co-Founder of 9Round Franchising. She is a black belt in Shotokan Karate and grew up with a passion for fitness and overall wellness.